


The Wicker House

by TheGodsWaitToDelightInYou



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Get ready for italics, Horror, M/M, Magical Realism, Mystery, Original Character(s), Paranormal, and parenthesis, author!Ryan Bergara, cursing, customary (wheeze), if I do my job right, spooky stuff, teacher!Shane Madej, they are dorks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-23 22:51:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14942859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGodsWaitToDelightInYou/pseuds/TheGodsWaitToDelightInYou
Summary: "Ryan is getting real tired of his house trying to kill him."International best-selling, horror and mystery author Ryan Bergara has just bought the house of his dreams. It doesn't take long for him to settle down and make a new friend, but it also doesn't take long for odd occurrences to start piquing the author's curiosity.Or is it just his imagination?With a deadline creeping ever closer and a nightmarish case of writer's block, is it the stress that is messing with his head?Or is it something more...sinister?UPDATE: I've deleted everything after chapter 1 because I'm editing the chapters and/or completely redoing them.





	The Wicker House

Day fuck-all:

  
Ryan is getting real tired of his house trying to kill him.

 

Day 1:

     It's October and everything has a faint trace of orange; from the bark of trees dimly lit like amber to the flash of a black cats eyes. It's as if a giant spiritual pumpkin has been rolling across the sky, masquerading as the sun.  
It's October and the clouds smell like cinnamon.  
Its October and the shadows elongate and whisper…

     It’s October, but most importantly its halloween, and it's the day Ryan Bergara finds himself moving into his new home.

     He spots the moving truck and the telling dead end street after some worries that he missed his street because it’s that very hour where cars are driving slower as ghosts and zombies and princesses are likely to dash across the street.  
     One has to be careful that way.

And it's not with a bit of relief when he pulls into his driveway and steps out of his car onto his lawn for the first time. (well not the first time per se...he looked at the house before buying it of course...but that's beside the point).

The point is: its his house. His _home_.  
There is light gleaming off the windows, and it turns the brown of the roof and house’s accents into a warm chocolate. The stone steps leading up to it need a sweeping but the autumn leaves lay prettily like confetti. There is the slight snap of the branches of the lone, tall, oak tree shifting under a sudden breeze and Ryan feels a big grin stretching his face.  
  
He is about to rush inside when he hears a: “boo.”  
  
Ryan jumps and insanely thinks for a second that it somehow came from the heavens.

_Jesus christ! Do you always loom like that?_

     “Well, I can't speak on behalf of that guy, I think he's more loom... _benevolently_. I, on the other hand? Loom, naturally?” That's said and punctuated with the toss of something bright and orange, “I'm sorry to say I can't really turn it off and on again.” _Crunch._ Then a smile. A sweet smile if Ryan dare say (no, think. No more saying things aloud and no being charmed by obnoxiously tall people first day here).

Ryan huffs, “You nearly gave me a heart attack, you know.”

There is another toss of candy and a different kind of grin morphs: “Boo.”

Startled into a smile, Ryan wheezes, “W-why did you say that again?”

     “I was wondering if it'd actually work, not that I want you to have a heart attack and die...I was just wondering, pondering the power of that word.”

     “Too bad then, looks like it didn't work--” he gets a look at the bag the guy is holding: candy corn, “Norman Bates. What I'm wondering is it even legal to be that tall? Don't you run the risk of intimidating people left and right? Children? Small animals?”

     “It's not very often I get called a serial killer...mostly it's various cryptics.”

     “Avoiding the question, Sasquatch.” ‘Cause boy was this guy tall. And he only called him Norman due to the slacks and button down the guy was sporting, looks like he just got out of work or something. Plus he seemed to perpetually slouch---signs of a sketchy person or perhaps due to the calm air he was giving.

      “What I'm wondering is, does time run differently for you down there?”

The intensity with which Ryan wants to (lightly) punch the guy on the arm is almost concerning.  
  
     “Shut up, mothman.”

     “Don't think I hear that one too often, I think I like Sasquatch better. And as much as I like inspiring visions of cryptology in people… The name is Shane. Your neighbor ‘cross the street”  
      “Ryan.”  
They shake hands and it’s a little amusing to see his new neighbor, Shane, with his gangly arms tuck his bag of candy into the crook of his arm to do so. If a small chuckle escapes Ryan he can't help it, especially when Shane seems to notice and returns to snacking with a dramatic flare, made more so by his excessively gangly limbs. 

They pause and smile at each other. 

"Interesting day to move in, it being the day of pumpkins and ghoulies.”

When Ryan had discovered that his plans all fell into place and ended up pushing the moving day on Halloween he had been a little more than overjoyed, and may or may not have bought candy to pass out if the opportunity arose. And by all means, the currently darkening sky and his energy despite some hours of driving (a portion of that time being dedicated to late late late pumpkin hunting for some that were fairly decent, no one need know) indicated that yes Halloween was so happening for him. 

      "Yeah, well, Halloween is awesome, I really wouldn't have it any other way.”  
   

      "Well, welcome to the neighborhood. Lets hope you don't see any spooks tonight.” That last bit was said quietly and Ryan takes it for a joke and laughs---there are a ton of spooks running amok tonight, little hard to avoid. 

     “Thanks, see you around I guess.” 

He turns to see Shane wave lazily before slouching away with another crack of his candy, but not before he catches what appears to be a slight frown directed over Ryan’s head. 

Ryan decides to think nothing of it while he drags his sleeping bag upstairs. 

At least for now. 

He can mull it over at the worst possible time, perhaps when he is trying to sleep, creep himself out...because that’s just what he does. If anything it's how he was able to get such a house and be standing in his (soon-to-be) room. 

His curiosity and passion for the unexplained had led him to sit down at times and work on stories. Stories that had inspired him. Unexplained cases that were so little known and he felt needed just a little attention, even if it's him just researching and barely taking an artistic flare to it while writing. Until one day, after a year or so, he noticed it all came together into one story, crazily enough.  
Or at least had the potential to be one. If he edited and worked towards it. And that's exactly what he did.

      Leading him to where he is now: ordering a pizza (for 363 beatrice street

yes i realizes its Halloween  
might take longer  
that's fine  
ill tip extra  
please  
yes  
yeah  
thank you)

The call ends with a click; Ryan goes to flip the light switch and--  
nothing.

Crap. He forgot to coordinate with the electricity before coming over.

Thoughtfully (not forlornly) Ryan stares out the window before calling his family and excluding the bit of information where he was currently submerged in darkness. His brother would tease him relentlessly. 

There is a steadily increasing number of people filling the street and the sound of screams and laughter floats up to his window as if joy were buoyant. Its infectious.

He wonders at carving any of the pumpkins he bought but figures there's really only two outcomes to that: he maims himself or carves them into a macabre sideshow. The major contributors to those fates being excitement and hunger--  
  
**_BONG_**

And that would be the pizza. And apparently the doorbell. 

What a doorbell that is...It tolled. Resonating down and around the walls, sounding vaguely like--

( _waking something_

_no)_  
  
Ryan rushes down the stairs and, with a leap of his heart, his foot stomps down hard and rattles him.

( _sounded like a bell that's it an old bell_ )

It's much darker now--seems like he was mistaken and had forgotten that extra step. 

( _a church bell? what kind of a house has--_ ) his hand releases the banister and flexes.

Stupid hunger.  
  
There are more Halloweenish sounds in the air, seemingly amplified with the opening of the door.

Ryan swears he can smell candy wafting in. The poor delivery kid has a haunted look in his eyes; a piece of candy bounces off his hat. Ryan pays and tips the poor guy generously.  
  
Barely a second passes and he is grabbing the bags of candy and pumpkins out of his car and settling down on a front step for dinner.

Ryan passes the time settling mood of food and sweets. Handing out one treat after another, sometimes even a slice of pizza if a costume is particularly awesome. 

There are periods where he hears screams of delight from across the street. Ryan looks up and there is nothing out of the ordinary with Shane's costume, in fact it's fairly normal, but he catches glimpses of massive sized candy packets and chocolate and some sort of game--- Deal? Ryan isn't even sure what he's seeing---the lights go out and then on again repeatedly. and something apparently happens in the split second where the kids dash up to the door and zoom away shrieking. Shane looks up in the middle of a fit of laughing and he gives a wave, Ryan smiles and waves back but with a question in the gesture of his other hand hand. 

Shane simply nods and raises a hand: _later_.

    When all the candy is gone and most of the children have left he goes to scavenge his car for a flashlight.  
    Alas, there is none. But he supposes he can just use the one on his phone…

When he returns to the front door, the air is significantly cooler than the warm night air he had been sitting in for so long. He shivers and plans on heading to his sleeping bag as soon as possible. 

    Its when he is about to walk up the stairs he twitches. Slowly, he sails the light between the banisters of the stairs and falls back to what he thinks he saw. 

It's a door; thin and sturdy, painted like the others... He turns and carefully descends the stairs once more. Maybe a closet he hadn't seen? Its right by the kitchen, perhaps it's a pantry? 

Its when he realizes he's simply staring at it does he pick at the odd feeling in his chest and realize its nerves. He stares at it, wishing he can call someone down, can call anyone and they can open it instead. 

Ryan mentally jumps foot to foot and opens the door with a little more force than necessary.

Its empty except for some shelves and a string that hangs right down the center; it's attached to a light.

It swings back and forth.

( _mocking_

_no_

_nothing its nothing_ )  
  
Maybe he just missed it? He only visited the house once...No it was twice. And today it was already pretty dark to begin with when arrived.

He begins to shut the door and inexplicably it makes the weirdest noise as it shuffles along, slower, without the initial force he used to open it. Ryan chuckles at that and at his own ridiculousness with first startling at the word: "boo" and then getting nervous about a pantry door. 

A yawn suddenly rips through him. His shoulders fall slightly and he significantly relaxes as the long day catches up to him and he allows himself to think of sleep once more.

Its almost 12 at night and he should wake early and move all his boxes into the house, call his editor, call the electricity, get food…

All that.

So, he gets ready to sleep.

And by the time he is drifting away,  
  
somewhere in the dark, there is the soft snap of something opening.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I don't know what I'm doing!  
> Did I do the funny? Nah, impossible. I'm not on those two dork's level. But I tried....goddamn did I try.
> 
> I've been reading a ton of BU fanfics recently and I was like...I wanna make one too.  
> Btw, this was unbeta-ed and also my first fic since middle school. Aka, I'm so so sorry. 
> 
> This is loosely based on House of Leaves (don't know if this spoils anything but I feel I need to mention that) 
> 
> Knowing myself, this is likely going to be a one shot. But I also feel like writing more so we'll see I guess. If so, tags will change. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading if you did! 
> 
> Also, I'm sorry if they are ooc  
> I'm crap at dialogue and having characters interact XD 
> 
> Plus I have no idea what candy corn tastes like and apparently it's chewy?? 
> 
> Leave a comment and I'll love you forever <3


End file.
